American Robin

Announcing the 12th Annual Winter Robin Round-Up!
February 1- 15, 2005

Photo Anne Cook


Calling All Robins!
Where do robins spend the winter, anyway? Let's find out! Before the spring migration begins this year, we'd like to know if you have robins over-wintering in your town. We hope you'll help with Journey North's Annual Winter Robin Round-Up! (See instructions below.)

Astonished observers have been reporting robins. Here's what they're seeing:

TENNESSEE
Photo Gerry Stewart (aka lucycat)
AMITYVILLE, NY
Photo John Deignan
FLORIDA
Photo Shirley

Here's a sample of what we're hearing:

  • Amityville, NY (Jan. 22): "Nineteen inches of snow on the ground with temps of 15 F in Amityville, Long Island, NY and yet there are hundreds and hundreds of Americans robins in the trees eating holly berries. These robins have been here for the past month and don't appear to have any interest in leaving. The blizzard we just experienced had winds of 35 to 45 mph with gusts to 70 mph. The storm started around noon on 1/22/05 and ended mid day Sunday 1/23/05. Overnight temps Sunday evening went down to 6 degrees F. When the storm was still active on Sunday morning, I noticed that the robins took shelter on several hinoki dwarf cypress evergreens along the south side of the house. At one point I counted twenty robins on a single bush. Interestingly, the robins sat on the limbs eating snow. Some robins would land on the bushes with holly berries in their beaks. They continued to feed during the storm."
  • Stillwater, MN (Jan. 27): "I have never seen a wave of robins ever, let alone this time of year; they are everywhere! The robins arrived yesterday, the 26th; up to that time we had not seen even one. They are still here today, Jan 27. We estimate about 100 or so between our neighbor's tree and ours. They are devouring the berries on our flowering crab, dropping many of the berries on the snow-covered ground."
  • Austin, TX (Jan. 13): "A wave of several hundred robins descended on our rather large back yard this afternoon. One live oak tree had 50-60 resting. The air was thick with high speed swoops in all directions. The outside temperature is 44 degrees, with light wind at 5 from the south. The temperature has been dropping here this week, with a severe Arctic front dropping down the center/east of the country. Last several nights have been the chilliest of the year. Are they headed South or North?"
  • Portage, IN (Jan. 22): "At least four dozen robins rested in the tree branches during a snowstorm. They remained from sunrise until just before noon. They appeared to be moving north."

Now we need to hear from YOU, too. Join the fun and get on the map of our Winter Robin Round-Up! Here's how:

How to Participate
1. Today: Go outside and look for robins. Ask your neighbors if they have seen robins. Contact your friends and relatives in other parts of North America. Ask everybody you know to help you look for robins!

Report Your Winter Robin Sightings to Journey North!

2. February 1-15: When you spot a robin, report your observations to Journey North.

Important: Our goal is to show where robins are present in early February. This means that ANY robin seen during this time is considered a "winter" sighting.

We will add your robin observations to the winter map whether they're

  • seen alone (FIRST Robin),
  • in groups (WAVE of Robins),
  • singing (FIRST song), or
  • OTHER Robin observations.

Remember, you have until February 15th, 2005 to collect your sightings!

3. On February 15th: We'll post a map to show where robins are found spending the winter of 2005. We'll also give you a data summary so you can make your own map.

4. After February 15: Continue to watch for robins and help us track their spring migration. Here's what to do:

Thank you!

Try This! Journaling Question
  • What variables do you think affect a robin's survival in winter? What are some ways you think robins survive, stay warm, and find food when the ground is frozen and the air so cold? How do you think they adapt when it gets cold in the south?

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